


Treading Lines

by Tangorine



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe, Angst, Did I mention angst, Dubious Consent, FBI Thor, Hurt/Comfort, Loki Does What He Wants, M/M, Odin's attempts at parenting, Past Prostitution, Past Underage, Thief Loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-05
Updated: 2014-02-16
Packaged: 2018-01-11 05:41:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1169359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangorine/pseuds/Tangorine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Avengers are Fury’s best FBI team in the unit. So it stands to reason when a mysterious thief named Loki manages to steal a six million dollar diamond from under their nose and happens to be Thor’s <i>brother</i> - well, that requires some readjusting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Heavily inspired by the Shadow of the Templar series, which I really recommend everyone go read now. I read the series years ago, and I always had Tom Hiddleston in my mind as the perfect fancast for Jeremy. I have uh embarrassingly enough lifted a lot of the diamond related plot from the first book, Morningstar, but I have made every effort to try and keep everything else as different as I can.
> 
> This is my first Marvel fanfic (so expect perhaps wonky characterisation as I’m still trying to find the characters’ voices) but really I just wanted to write vicious Loki along with a whole load of tropes that really hit my kinks. I am a massive fan of hurt comfort. Please read the warnings – if any of them potentially are triggers please reconsider this fic.

The Chilton Mansion is outrageously extravagant, a display of wealth and opulence that makes Thor sick to his stomach. The powerful and wealthy swarm around him, drunk socialites and businessmen alike, conversations flitting from the latest dresses to pay packages and bonus figures, the low thrum of vapid chatter grating on his nerves. He thought he had left that life behind him, a long time ago, and Thor stares at the ice swans incredulously, wishing Steve had put him in the surveillance van with Bruce.

“Why am I even here?” He murmurs into the coms, aware that his voice is slipping into a whine as Steve chuckles down the line in reply.

“We need Tony and your expertise in this. Why do you think we even let him loose near the refreshments?”

“Man, rich people.” Bruce says from his position in the van, and Thor tries not to be too envious. Just because he has a rich family doesn’t mean doesn’t mean he necessarily _understands_ these people (he grimaces, waving and pasting a smile to Mrs Chilton – she’s taken a shine to him for some reason) but Tony seems to be getting along fine as he chats aimlessly to a ditzy little thing in a strapless gown. He isn’t the only one who’s noticed, and Steve sighs, exasperated.

“Ironman, focus and _put that drink down_ or else I’ll put you in surveillance.”

“Yes Cap _sir _.__ ” Tony drawls, but he does put his martini down nonetheless.

Thankfully, Natasha seems to be more alert, and she seems unaware of how many heads she turns in her black gown, simple and elegant and long enough to hide as much and as little as she wants. Thor knows for a fact she’s carrying at least a gun and two knives on herself, but you wouldn’t know it from the way she sashays through the crowd, alert and ready. They don’t anticipate this to be a particularly dangerous mission, but the Chilton family have chosen an extremely inopportune time to show off their newest diamond, and Natasha’s never been one to be unprepared. The FBI don’t usually intervene in matters of security, but word is that the Latvrerians have their eye on this diamond, and nothing picks up the FBI’s attention more than the Latverian mafia.

The ballroom is a gleaming, opulent mess, with a short queue to a side door that leads to the diamond’s showroom, and Thor has to sigh as he eyes the doorway and its lack of security mournfully. Despite Thor’s attempts to butter her up, Mrs Chilton is a stubborn, entitled _bitch_ and he spares a thought for Clint, who’s currently doing the best he can, crouched in the rafters of the show room keeping an eye out from above. As if anticipating his thoughts, Clint mumbles down the coms,

“ _Please_ let this be over soon. I feel like a pervert – do you know how many people have made out in here?” And Thor swears he can see Natasha’s mouth curl up into a small amused smile.

“I dunno Hawkeye, there must be something very attractive about shiny rocks.” She says simply.

Thor scans the room and ignores the chatter on the line as he eyes potential suspects as they enter the room. No one looks particularly suspicious, and the only people with Latverian connections on the guest list haven’t even attempted to look at the diamond. Henry Chilton is stood in a corner, windswept curls pushed back from his face as he flirts with a young blonde man, hand straying lower and lower and Thor turns his gaze away abruptly. It’s only a little while before Tony starts muttering into their ear pieces about how unfair it is that he’s being placed in front of all this alcohol and not being allowed to even enjoy it, and Natasha scowls immediately and starts to snap at his unprofessionalism when all of a sudden Steve’s voice interrupts their squabbling.

“Focus guys, I think we might have a potential suspect. East wing entrance.”

Thor swings his gaze over, and it feels like his stomach has dropped out under him.

He hasn’t seen his brother in _years_ , but he’d recognise the figure from anywhere – the distinctive arch of his nose and the hollowed out cheekbones that seem even sharper now from his memory. Dark hair swept back from his face and a slight and trim figure sharpened by a sleek suit that seemed to cut him out from the crowd perfectly.

“Loki.” Thor breathes, after a moment, and it is a mistake because he realises he said it out loud, and Steve’s voice is incredulous down the mike.

“You know that guy?”

“In a manner.” He responds evasively, and leaves his post near the punch bowl, making a beeline towards his missing brother with purpose. He ignores Steve’s yelling down his ear, and continues walking, hands clenched into fists. Thor is shaking, and he’s almost afraid to approach Loki, afraid he’ll disappear all over again the moment he confirms him as _real_. To his credit, Loki doesn’t seem alarmed when he places a heavy hand on his shoulder, but it is all too familiar when he looks up with a sardonic glance, expression widening for a single startled moment and then narrowing when Thor gapes at him, at a loss for words.

“I should have known these sycophants would have invited the Odinson’s to their egotistic display of wealth.” His voice is deeper than he remembered, smooth and low and it is with frightening clarity he recalls how their last encounter had ended, with Odin dragging them apart with a frightening roar; the screaming and the crying which had ended with a fractured family and a missing son.

“Where have you _been_?” He snarls, and he knows he’s running out of time as he can see Natasha weaving her way to him, Tony looking on gleefully from the canapé table. Unfortunately, the mission is the last thing on Thor’s mind as he grips his brother’s arms, hands tightening as Loki winces, and now that he can see him clearly, he can see the fever bright green of his eyes, the pale bruise gracing the edge of a cheekbone, the soft sneer of his lips and the dark curl of his hair at the nape of his neck and -

“Don’t be a brute, Thor.” He knocks Thor’s hands off him with an abrupt gesture, and his gaze flickers to Natasha who has curled a slight hand around Thor's bicep, deceptively light but strong. Loki's mouth tightens for a second, but his manners are impeccable as he takes her hand and presses it to his mouth in a soft greeting, eyes raised up to the redhead.

"A pleasure to meet you," he smiles, dangerous and sharp. He slides a glance to look at Thor, still in shock, and continues, "Though it saddens me Thor; after all these years and you’re _still_ pretending.”

Natasha frowns, perturbed, and Thor hastily places his hand on his brother's waist, trying to guide him into a corner where they can talk, but Loki just slips out of his grasp and moves out of reach.

"I'd love to stay but Henry has offered me a private showing of the Angola diamond, and it’s awfully rude to be late."

Thor watches helplessly as the youngest Chilton guides his brother over to the showroom, shutting the double doors behind them, and the last thing he sees is the emerald green of his brother's eyes as he leans out from Henry's embrace to look back at him. Loki smile is vicious, and Thor shivers, wondering when his younger brother looked so unhinged.  
  
  
*  


"So." Tony sidles up to him, and Thor grits his teeth, watching the double doors with an intensity that has him gripping his champagne flute until it cracks. "Bad breakup?"

"This is not the time." He grits out, and Tony looks like he's going to push it before Clint's alarmed voice flutters through their coms.

"Err guys, Loki just _gassed_ the Chilton. He’s got some sort of device - oh shit he’s noti-” Clint cuts off with a muffled groan, and Thor and the team rush to the door and manage to burst through just in time to see Clint and Henry passed out on the floor. Thor winces – the fall couldn’t have been pleasant – and the display case is open and empty, a small hole cut into the glass. Loki is in the centre of it all, clutching the Angola diamond in one hand and his expression is cool and uninterested as Steve raises his gun.

“Freeze FBI!” he yells, and Thor has to swallow as he realises Loki is wearing a catsuit of some sort, the black material hugging the hard lines of his body into a sinuous curve. He raises his hands up as a gesture of surrender, but he’s still holding the diamond, slender fingers holding it loosely.

“My my Thor, you’ve certainly moved up in the world haven’t you? First the police and then the FBI? What strings did Odin pull to get you _there_?” Loki ignores everyone else, spitting the poisonous words without caring for their audience and Thor grits his teeth and ignores the baited comment. He hasn’t seen Loki for years, but his brother isn’t the only one who has changed. Tony is shooting confused glances everywhere, and Steve’s aim never wavers from its target.

“Put the diamond down, Loki.”

“Why don’t you come over here and _make_ me.” He responds, and all of a sudden, he drops out of sight, diving behind the display case. Steve fires off a shot in warning, and just as Thor’s gaze whips around to check Loki isn’t hurt, all of a sudden security burst onto the scene, yelling and scrambling as they become aware of the missing diamond. Thor swears viciously, and Mrs Chilton is screaming bloody murder as she points at the empty case, and Loki is a sharp blur as he runs towards the exit, dodging the chaos and stepping neatly over Clint’s body as he makes for the exit.

Thor lunges for him with a roar, and he takes pleasure in watching Loki’s eyes widen for a second, before bringing his hand up in defence. Thor thinks initially he’s aiming for a punch, so he catches his wrist in a tight grip, squeezing, but then Loki angles his wrist up and sprays him with something that leaves him drowsy and stumbling.

“W-what did you -”

“Pleasant dreams, you _asshole_.” He spits out viciously, and doses him again.

Then everything goes black.  
  
  
*  


There’s a blinding pain in his skull when he wakes, and the soft beeping of a heart monitor startles him into consciousness, rhythmic and monotonous. He isn’t aware of anything until he sees a brief flash of red and black, and slowly he groans, cracking an eye open to Natasha by his bedside.

“What _happened_?”

Natasha just quirks her lips into a something that could resemble a smile and holds out a glass to him.

“Drink some water Thor, we debrief in ten. I’d hurry if I were you – Fury’s pissed.”

When he manages to stumble out of the infirmary and into one of the meeting rooms, he takes a quick status check around the room and what he sees isn’t surprising. Clint looks like he’s nursing a headache to rival Thor’s, and Tony looks pissed off, angrily ripping his notebook paper into shreds. Steve has a pretty bad bruise on his head, and the only one that looks calm is Bruce, but Thor is sort of glad for that as no one wants to see Bruce _not_ calm.

“Did we get him?” Thor asks rather hopefully, and Fury gives him a disdainful look, mouth grim and displeased.

“It turns out the security fuck up was partly Chilton interference and partly because Loki paid off a couple of goons to disrupt our operation. He managed to outsmart my best team by knocking out half of them with gas, and then fooling Tony by returning a _fake_ diamond. So no Thor. We did not _get_ him.”

“Bastard.” Tony mutters, scowling deeply, and Thor shuts his eyes with a sigh. He knows what’s coming, and he refuses to look at his teammates and he refuses to catch Fury’s probing gaze.

“I don’t have time for this.” Fury bites out. Resignedly, Thor stares back, jaw clenched. “We have a _six million_ dollar diamond that is missing, possibly related to the Latverian mafia and a jewel thief who has managed to so far outsmart the best of the FBI and my only lead so far is a soon to be _ex-agent_ if he doesn’t explain himself in the next five minutes.”

“Loki is my step brother.” He says it slowly, the words feeling cold on his tongue. “He ran away from home when he was seventeen and I haven’t seen him since.”

“You haven’t been in contact?” Fury’s voice is flat, but Thor can’t blame him for being suspicious.

“No. Before he left he made it quite clear he never wanted to see his family again.” The words still taste bitter, and Thor clenches his fists into the fabric of his suit before looking up to face his teammates.

“What made him leave?”

Thor stands up. The sudden movement makes Fury look up at him, and Thor clenches his fists again to stop them from trembling.

“Respectfully sir, I don’t believe that has anything to do with our current mission.” He tries not to look too wounded as the memories start to resurface again, the hurt just as insidious even after years of denial. “I can provide a background on Loki’s character, and I will do whatever I can to help detain him, but I refuse to delve into family matters that are not relevant to the operation at hand.”

Thor leaves the room, and briefly he hears Tony say with pointed amusement,

“Well Fury, I guess that’s none of your business.”

  
*

  
His little outburst at Fury had consequences.

He earned himself a two week suspension from active duty, but not before the commander grilled him about Loki; his habits, his likes and dislikes and it made Thor realise he hardly even knew if any of it was even relevant anymore. The Loki he had known was a self-composed if not slightly insecure seventeen year old boy, with the hobbies and habits any teenager would have – until it had all gone to shit.

After Odin had discovered them, curled up on top of each other in the same bed, it had taken only a few months before his brother had become unrecognisable, and another week before Loki had run way.

So he spends his suspension in the gym and the firing range, shooting target after target and emptying cartridges and blanks into the wall. He shoots until his shoulders are sore, the satisfaction of hitting the target wearing away with each bullet and soon even the punching bags in the gym are slowly losing their appeal. He thinks about phoning his mother, wanting to bring a smile back to her face, but Thor can’t bear to make the call.

Steve looks at him with worry when they leave for their assignments, but the whole team is pretty much on lockdown, especially when Fury is still trying to deal with the mess that came from their last mission. Thor dreams still, nightmares and flashes of the diamond and of his brother’s smile, cutting and sharp. He’s restless and angry, and eventually Steve asks him to type up the mission report, hoping it would prove somewhat cathartic. So far, it has been dull work – _suspect was recognised by Thor Odinson (codename ‘Thunder’) due to their familial relation_ – and he clacks lifelessly at the computer keyboard, trying not to cringe when he types out ‘familial’. He takes a glance at the clock, and the monotony is only broken by the shrill ringing of his office phone. He picks up absentmindedly, muttering an acknowledgement down the line.

A low voice speaks, smooth and silky like honey and Thor’s hair stands on one end as he recognises the voice instantly.

“Hello Thor.”

There is a sickening pause, and Thor’s brain struggles to catch up with everything as he scrambles madly for a tracer, wishing Bruce or Tony were here on their laptops. He has no idea how their equipment works (they’ve added so many modifications and personal touches that even IT support refuse to go anywhere near them) but he’s not entirely clueless and he stumbles over their wires and trips over his chair as he races to get a location from the call.

“Don’t even bother.” Loki drawls. “I’m using a payphone in the middle of nowhere and I will be long gone before you even manage to get into that ridiculous thing you call a car.”

“It’s a truck.” He mutters, defensively, and it suddenly dawns on him that Loki knows what he drives. And most importantly, he has his _office number_. “Where _are_ you brother?”

“I am not your –” Loki snaps immediately, but cuts himself off in time and takes a few breaths. He lets out a long sigh, and Thor can physically hear him start massaging his brow with his fingers. “Please, can we not do this now?”

Thor can feel himself getting angry. Twelve years without any news, twelve years of mourning a dead sibling and he gets _this_ in response?

“What do you expect? You cannot just suddenly appear after a _decade_ , assault my team and expect me to have no questions at all. Where have you _been_?” He asks one question after another, eyeing the tracer status as the program runs. The progress bar is still calibrating, and although he’s dying to know what has happened to his brother, he’d learnt his lesson from the Chilton mission. Job comes first.

“I know what you’re doing.” Loki bites out. “Stop stalling.”

“So tell me what you want.” Thor returns. He waits, and after a pause Loki sighs explosively down the phone, voice suddenly hesitant.

“Ah. I do believe I may have had a slight disagreement with my employer over my last job.”

“What does that even mean?” Thor waits with baited breath, almost too nervous to even hope.

“It means, I am offering you the diamond back.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to thank everyone for the lovely comments and kudos. Hope you enjoy the next installment, it's pretty obvious where this is going I think. :)

_The sun had been bright, shining intensely under the Texan sky, and he remembers it clearly because it had been so swelteringly hot, humid and damp in the middle of summer. He didn’t have long until he left for college and they were spending their last few weeks together, before he had to leave and start moving in. Loki was taking it surprisingly well, and he’d been a tease as usual, diving into the pool with grace, practicing his flips and twists before he hit the water. He had always been good at swimming; dextrous and fast and vicious, and Thor knew the swim team were in for a treat this year. They had finally managed to persuade his brother to join, and to be honest it was a relief that he was leaving for college because Loki would find it difficult to hide all the marks he left on his body._

_Thor peels off his shirt absentmindedly, lying near the pool in a daze, and he swears he imagines it when Loki pops his head up from the water to stare at him, unabashedly open._

_It doesn’t take long, but eventually they make their way up to Thor’s room, and he manhandles his brother into his bed, pushing him down roughly. Loki’s hair is plastered to his face, wet skin and gleaming and he brackets him into the bed, bodies pressed flat against each other._

_It startles a soft moan from Loki, eyes dark and uncharacteristically wet, and Thor is kissing him all of a sudden, nipping at his lip and alternating between licking into his mouth and sucking dark bruises into his neck, relishing at the small whimper he manages to pull from his throat._

_Loki has a hand down his swimming trunks, and Thor is making embarrassing little grunts, unable to stop his hips jerking into that touch when suddenly an iron grip wrenches his shoulder back, and Loki’s eyes widen in horror._

_For a few seconds or so, Thor is utterly confused and disorientated, but it isn’t until he hears his father’s snarl of horrified rage that he can feel his pulse racing, all manner of desire draining from him like a bucket of ice water thrown into his face. He turns around and sees Odin’s furious gaze, with Loki shivering behind him, and then he starts to realise how fucked they really are._   
  


*

  
Thor wakes gasping, hands clutching at his sheets as sweat beads his brow. His covers are completely sodden, and he’s achingly hard, heart beating rapidly as he tries to calm himself. He hasn’t had that particular dream in a long time, but Loki’s reappearance into his life has brought back all manner of bad memories, and Thor feels his brain is stuck on repeat, unable to move on. It’s the third time this week he’s dreamt of Loki, and it’s starting to become a problem.

He hasn’t heard from Loki at all since their call. He should have expected it, but they had initially arranged for to meet him in a motel the FBI sometimes used as a safe house, but Loki had skipped the meeting. Thor had spent that evening sparring with Steve, hitting him like he could solve all of their problems with violence. He was beyond furious, beyond everything; Loki had promised a diamond and it seemed like he had no intention of honouring his word. Just like he had promised him a life together back when they were foolish teenagers and then he had disappeared without a trace.

And he’s hurt. He doesn’t know how to react, or how to feel. He’s _responsible_ for the way Loki disappeared. Odin had screamed at the both of them that night, but when Loki had run away they had eventually thought him _dead_ , and for years Thor had felt the burden of his responsibility.

And now. It fucking figures that his brother would find a way to cause just as much disruption to his life by _appearing_ again.

Sighing, he turns the light on, eyeing the time before grabbing a towel and stepping into the shower. He steadfastly ignores his erection, turning the temperature viciously down to cold as he scrubs and soaps as fast as he can. He’s not going to be able to get any more sleep, and he might as well try and get some more paperwork done before his shift starts. They had dug into Loki’s past some more in the meantime; and to their shock they found out that Loki had been working for Victor von Doom for _years_ , stealing a variety of priceless artefacts and high-tech military technology.

Of course no one had ever caught a proper glimpse of the thief, but Thor had traced the dates of each theft back to about three years after Loki had disappeared; each job growing steadily in ambition, until there was no doubt whatsoever that his brother had been behind them. Some of the stunts he had pulled were frankly audacious, and sourly Thor had to admit he knew his brother well enough that he had enough tricks up his sleeve to keep pulling heists as long as he lived.

Doom was one of the biggest names on the FBI watch list – Doom was the _reason_ the Avengers initiative existed in the first place – and this was the biggest breakthrough the team had had in _years_. It was almost inconceivable that before now, no one had even _heard_ of Loki, let alone of his exploits. It seemed like Doom had taken great lengths to keep Loki under the radar, but now that they knew what exactly they were looking for, it was obvious for everyone to see.

The phone rings, and Thor grabs it, only to realise it’s from the hospital.

“Jane,” he greets warmly, though he’s a little disappointed and kicking himself for thinking it would be anyone else. It’s late, and he wonders what she could be phoning him for this late at night. They had split only a few months ago due to their differing work schedules, but they still keep in contact, and he treasures her company despite everything else.

“Thor,” she says, tone equally friendly and surprisingly bright for the time of day. “I hate to phone you so late but we need your help with something.”

“Hm?” He’s already grabbing a pair of jeans, mobile jammed between his shoulder and head whilst he slips into them, and Jane continues, voice suddenly growing softer and more concerned.

“We had a John Doe admitted to the A&E room a few days ago, and he’s only woken up recently. But for some reason, he mentioned your name right before he went under anaesthesia.” She pauses again, and continues again quickly. “I swear it could just be coincidence, but he’s been injured quite badly, and I figured, how many Thor Odinsons could there _be_ in DC?”

Somehow, Thor just _knows_.

“Let me guess, dark hair, green eyes? A distinctive birthmark on his shoulder?”

“Yes, how did you know?” Is the startled reply, and Thor nearly falls over himself in his haste to get out of his apartment.

“I’ll explain later. Under no circumstances are you to let him out, he’s currently wanted by the FBI for a diamond heist.” It’s not the only reason of course, but Jane’s voice suddenly shifts, tone wavering as she replies.

“Trust me Thor, he isn’t going anywhere.”

He slams the door shut to his apartment, running to his truck.  
  
  


*

  
  
Thor arrives at the hospital in under ten minutes, breaking the speed limit as much as he dares. He sends a quick text to Steve to update him, but he knows he doesn’t have long before Fury gets a wind of this. The man is almost omnipotent, and he drives as fast as he can to the hospital before his team get there. Jane meets him near the ambulance bay, and she quickly leads him to the intensive care unit, briefing him as they walk.

“He’s been severely beaten and stabbed in the side, and it’s a miracle he hasn’t broken anything. There’s been some internal bleeding as well and some cracked ribs, but we’re mostly worried about the internal damage.”

“Will he survive?” He breathes, and Jane nods, biting her lip. She’s hiding something; he can tell, but when they reach Loki’s room, he has to stand still for a moment, not knowing what to expect. It looks worse perhaps than it really is, but his brother is pale against the sheets. His arms are limp, and there are hollows in his cheeks that match the colour of his bruises. He looks peaceful, and Thor is unable to stop himself from moving closer, trying to compare the small injured figure in this bed to the one he had seen outsmart his whole team only a few weeks ago.

He’s been cuffed to the bed rails with the kind of restraints more commonly used on psych patients, but despite it all, his brother looks vulnerable.

“Do you want to keep watch over him? We have security staff that can help as well if you’d like.”

Thor just nods wearily, giving her a grateful look.

“Steve and the team will be over by the morning. I can wait here in the meantime.”

Her hand touches his shoulder softly, and tells him to call her if he needs anything. Slowly, Thor just sinks into the armchair next to the bed, burying his face into his hands.  
  
  


*

 

Loki wakes to the sound of machinery, the muted sound of a beeping heart monitor, and it is with great difficulty that he sits up, or tries to, with an IV drip in his wrist and suddenly he realises his wrists are cuffed to the side of the bed. Immediately he panics, thrashing, disorientated, and it isn’t until he realises he’s in a hospital, not one of Doom’s _facilities_ that he calms down, breathing raggedly.

Thor is hunched in an armchair in the corner of the room, but he can see him waking, blinking his eyes open, and Loki is absolutely _incensed_.

“Get these things off me.” He growls, jerking violently against the leather cuffs, and suddenly he starts coughing, the pain in his body hitting him all at once as he hunches over and tries to curl up on his side. A nurse comes rushing in, alerted by the rapid escalation of his heart rate, trying to calm him with a cool hand to his brow. Distantly he’s reminded of Frigga, before he viciously clamps down on any useless sentimentality whilst Thor is in the same room as him, watching him with his tired blue eyes. His body aches, he feels like he’s been hit by a car, and although Doom’s never quite tried to run him over before, the beating he took for trying to take the diamond was probably meant to kill him. Not as cruel as some of the other punishments Doom had dished out over the years, but certainly effective.

He turns his head jerkily when a nurse tries to check his vitals, thrashes against his restraints out of childish fury, and when Thor moves to the bed to help her press him down he nearly screams, furious and spitting. He growls and he snaps, needing to be free as the cuffs bite deeper into his wrists, and it seems like the entire ward is rushing to his bedside, unwanted hands touching and pressing at him as he thrashes and screams and bites. He fucking _hates_ being restrained, and Thor should _know_ , if he weren’t such an insensitive, unyielding assho-

Eventually, he feels a prick in his upper arm and slowly the sedative begins to spread, his pupils dilating and limbs slowing. Within seconds, his mind starts to lose focus and he loses all strength, slumping uselessly against the bed. Thor stares at him sadly, expression grave.

“Stop it.” Thor murmurs, and Loki doesn’t even have the strength to hiss out a _fuck you_ before his eyes flutter shut. He doesn’t feel tired exactly, but he feels himself calm down, the pain in his body muted suddenly by the drugs, his breathing slowing into a shuddering exhale. He’s still uncomfortable about being restrained, the panic still beating against his ribcage, but he stops struggling nonetheless.

“How long have I been here?” He asks hoarsely.

“The doctor says you’ve been here a few days, but they need to keep you for some observation.”

“Like hell they will.” he snarls weakly, levelling a glare at him, “I’m not staying in a hospital. Doom’s men might still be out there.”

“And why would they be after you?” Thor has to try to keep his tone even. There’s a long pause, and Loki’s expression sours as he thinks back, remembering how fucking badly he had planned everything.

“They ambushed me after I left with the diamond.” Loki mutters, actually looking rather embarrassed. “I guess I was distracted.”

It looks like he wants to say something else, and Thor leans forwards unconsciously, but then a harried looking nurse runs into the room, followed closely by Fury and the rest of the Avengers. Loki takes one look at them, and his expression goes cool, flat and disinterested.

Thor feels the skin on his neck crawl. This is not going to go well.  
  


  
*  
  
  
Fury banishes the team to sit out in the corridor, and Thor hunches over in his chair, trying not to feel annoyed at being side lined. The medical staff look annoyed and walk around them with pointed glares, and Natasha just stands guard by Loki’s door, staring blankly ahead. Clint is leaning casually against the wall next to her, and for a moment Thor takes a second to admire how well they work together, Natasha and her intimidating presence and Clint in his casual distance.

Steve is currently trying to stop Stark from flirting with everything with a nurse cap on, and Banner sits next to Thor, reading a book on quantum mechanics. Thor’s pretty sure he’s read that book at least four times, but he leans back into his chair and sighs, the turn of the pages oddly soothing.

It takes a few more minutes, but eventually Fury storms out of Loki’s room, mouth flattened into a grim line. He looks like he’s swallowed something unpleasant, and oddly enough Thor wants to laugh, recognising the look from Odin, too many times from fighting and losing the will to continue with Loki. Fury walks on until he is standing on front of Thor, and he raises his head, looking directly at him. He’s not afraid of this man, he respects him, but there are times when he wants to shrink under the weight of his probing gaze, to protect the last few secrets he could have left to hide.

“Your brother is a piece of work.” Fury begins, shaking his head. “He has demanded that he be involved with our operation in capturing Doom.”

There is a shocked little silence that resonates.

“Despite that fact that I don’t trust him at all, we haven’t had any further progress on Doom since Moscow, and Loki I believe has been acting on his orders for almost as long as I have been stationed on his case.”

Thor’s throat feels tight. He knows where this is going, and he feels torn, not knowing whether it’s elation within his chest or nervousness. He can’t let Loki fuck him up like last time, and it’s inevitable that he will, but there’s a sliver of a chance, maybe a tiny opportunity –

“Although I don’t like it, I’m going to need all your help on keeping an eye on him.” And then Fury’s expression sours again, voice darkening into a growl. “However, in order to gain his help, he has certain _conditions_.”

This time, when Fury looks directly at him, Thor feels afraid. “And unfortunately for you Thunder, _you_ are one of them.”


End file.
